Michaela Strachan, 46, the wildlife presenter and author, on 'embarrassing'
tips and why she would hate to win the lottery.

My childhood experiences have completely shaped my attitude to money. I lived in a very secure middle-class family in Esher in Surrey.

My dad worked as a manager of a building society and without going into too much detail he lost his job, so we went from a very secure financial background to "Oh my God, what are we going to do?". I was about 15 or 16 at the time and it was a very painful experience, but it's given me the understanding that I've got to put money aside.

How much was in your first pay packet?

I did a lot of part-time jobs in my teens including being an Avon lady, filing for an insurance company, delivering leaflets on roller skates and demonstrating how to use vacuum cleaners in Harrods. I also had some really dodgy jobs including pulling pints in a pub in the East End of London where you had to dance on the bar tops in your leotard and tights and leg warmers in between serving beer. My first real regular paid job was as a showgirl at The Skyline in Heathrow in a place called Diamond Lil's wearing silver high heels and a leotard with feathers. I did six nights a week after college and I earned £100 a week, and that was in 1984. Two years later I was earning £146 a week as one of the seven brides in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers in the West End.

When I got the Wide Awake Club I remember them saying, "We'll pay you the Equity minimum to begin with," so I wondered what that was. I phoned up Equity who said it was £250. I said, "A month?" and they said, "No. A show." I remember nearly falling off the stool. I was flabbergasted. People got paid very well in the Eighties and I was very lucky that I was super busy.

Was that your wealthiest period?

Definitely. From 1988 to 1992 I was doing the Wide Awake Club, The Hit Man and Her, as well as personal appearances. I was earning six figures and thank God I was because I and my then boyfriend had bought a house just when the interest rates went up to 18pc. Our mortgage was £3,000 a month but we got through it because we were earning good money.

What was your single most lucrative job?

Modelling for Kay's Catalogue in 1990. I thought it would be for about £1,000, but it was £10,000 for five days' work. I couldn't believe I could earn that much money for that little work.

Does money make you happy?

I don't think so. Obviously a certain amount of money that makes you comfortable can make you happy, but the worst thing that could happen to me would be winning a huge amount of money. It would stress me out. You'd get so many begging letters. You'd have every single charity asking you to support them. And you'd be in such a muddle over what to do with that money – I wouldn't be the sort who could just be frivolous with it. I would probably spend years setting up a charity and stress myself out.

Are you a spender or a saver?

I'm not a huge spender. In fact, some things I'm quite stingy on.

Are you last to the bar?

No, I'm not stingy in that way. I'm very generous when it comes to other people, but less so with myself. I only bought my first new car this year. I've never bought a new one in my life before, because I thought the depreciation in value as soon as you've bought it makes it a complete waste of money. But we bought a very old Land Cruiser last year and spent so much fixing it that I thought, "No more. I'm getting a Fiat 500."

What financial impact has relocating to Cape Town had?

When I moved there I thought it would affect my career and had to consider how much money I needed to live a comfortable lifestyle. I realise my idea of a comfortable lifestyle is very different to someone else's. I live in a beautiful place. My child goes to a semi-private, semi-government school and I like going out to dinner. That's my level, rather than working all hours to maximise my earnings.

My work ethic doesn't make that easy, but I'm really trying to get more of a balanced life. I'm not motivated purely by earning as much money as I can in a year. I'm motivated by having a balance now, but that's because I'm 46 and I have a child, and I live in a beautiful place and I want to enjoy it.

Have you ever been in debt or had serious financial problems?

Apart from when my family lost all their money, no. Ever since I've been working I've always had enough money to support myself. I've never had to ask anyone for money. I've been totally self-sufficient and I'm quite proud of that.

Do you invest?

When I was working on the Wide Awake Club with Timmy Mallet – he is extremely financially savvy – he suggested a financial adviser and I've had the same one ever since. I'm very careful with my investments and I try to invest ethically. I don't ask too many questions but I buy a portfolio of shares that are ethically sympathetic.

I tried to do that in South Africa and it seemed to be difficult to find anything that's really ethical so I went into property in the end, which you could say was not ethical but it's more ethical than tobacco.

Tell us about your property portfolio

At one stage, when I was married to my ex-husband, Duncan, I accumulated a lot of properties. We had our house in Bristol where we lived, then we bought another house that we let there. My dad had a stroke and I ended up buying his flat in Surbiton, which I still own, and I helped him to buy a retirement flat, so I had a third of that. I still own my first flat in Highgate, which I now rent to the council, and then I bought a little place in Cape Town. And we also started to help Duncan's mum buy out her property.

So we had money in about seven different properties at the time. Then I got divorced, so I don't have so many now.

Do you give to charity?

I never give massive amounts but I give often and I sponsor two children through World Vision in Kenya and a little girl in South Africa through a charity called Home From Home.

How do you tip?

I'm not a good tipper. That's not my stingy side coming out; I just find it so embarrassing. I'd far rather the 10pc or 15pc was just added. The worst one is at hotels with bag carriers, when you never have change anyway. I'd rather struggle up the stairs myself.

Do you bank online?

I do, but I got so stressed by all the different passwords and numbers you're using to navigate the fraud system. Then you forget what number it is and then they cancel your card and you panic when they ask you different questions like: "In August, you spent £24.55 at a chemist. Which one?"

I find all the fraud stuff incredibly stressful and now that I live abroad I get fraud checks all the time. I've been the victim of fraud too. I've had my Visa card cloned and they spent £5,000 in a week, which, thankfully, I didn't have to pay back. So I'm aware checks have got to be done but it's still very frustrating.

Do you have a pension?

I've had one since I was 21. Not huge. My financial adviser made me do a very useful exercise recently to work out whether I will get a decent pension when I'm older if I carry on working as I am at present.

What are your financial plans?

It's very difficult being a presenter because you can be popular one year and out of favour the next. Out of the 26 years I've been in television I've had maybe one quiet year, and that made me think about using my personal brand in a different way. Consequently, I've written a book and I'm doing my tours and talks and the corporate stuff. I'm 46 and I don't want to suddenly find myself in the same position that my mum was in when she was in her forties, when she had to start again from scratch.

– Michaela Strachan will star in a new children's show, 'Michaela Strachan's Really Wild Adventures', in theatres from Feb 15. See michaelastrachan.co.uk